In 1870 Cornelius Hicks, great-grandfather of the current owner, built the big barn at 856 Hampden Street, Holyoke, MA. He ran a very successful work-horse business. Farmers, horse traders, and anyone using big horses before there were tractors, came to the weekly auctions to buy Clydesdales, Belgiums, Percherons, and other breeds. Cornelius's son Job, grandfather of the current owner, continued the horse business until his passing in 1954! Horses were "in his blood," so he spent all of the wealth he had created in his early years to keep the barn doors open. During the 1920's and 1930's, the auditorium adjoining the barn was used for political rallies. If you ran for local office in those days, it would do you well to see Job Hicks for a place to air your views.

So who is Eddie? Edward Hicks is the father of Job C. Hicks, the current owner of the original barn. Eddie started sweeping out horse stalls in 1935 to sell furniture. So we can say Eddie's Furniture Company's roots go back to 1870, and its inception was in 1935. Job C. took over the business in 1977. His younger brother Peter became manager in 1983. Peter and his children started the now famous TV advertising campaign in 1991, when Sam, the firstborn, was only one year old! Now everyone knows and loves Peter and his kids. The youngest, Rebecca, is becoming the most well-known of the five. Most customers think of Peter as "Eddie" due to the commercials and his wonderful way of serving his customers. Because of our low overhead, our prices are very competitive; and we don't think any store big or small can beat our service after the sale.